AuburnChick's Adventures

Chicky will be returning to college later this week.

I.

Am.

Not.

Thrilled.

However, with this being her second year, I think it won’t be as much of a shock to my system.

As any mother of a college student knows, the week before a child returns to school is busy!  There are clothes to buy, dorm room stuff to pack, and a myriad of other things to do.

Today, Chicky and I headed out to do a bit of shopping.

First, we visited CVS, where I taught her how to save money using her Extra Care Bucks Card…

Of course, we also had coupons in our hands.

First, though, I explained that every time she walks into a CVS store, she needs to scan her card at the kiosk, usually located near the front…

This is very important!  The scanner spits coupons out the side.

However, as I explained to Chicky, you can scan your card TWICE each day (during the same visit).  You get different coupons each time!  The coupons that spit out are different each week and sometimes you even get unexpected surprises, such as Extra Care Bucks…

Extra Care Bucks (ECBs) are MONEY in CVS language, so don’t ever throw them out!!

The coupons that printed out for us today included $3 off of a $10 cosmetics purchase.

Since Chicky has her own card (she’s such a big girl), she got her own set of coupons.  One of her coupons was $.50 off of Crest Whitestrips, which she had planned on purchasing!

She had things she wanted to buy, with her own money, (once again being such a big girl), so I let her shop.

Now, let me remind you to never, ever buy anything at CVS without using your card.  You get special prices this way.

For instance, Chicky bought her Whitestrips (using a $5 manufacturer coupon plus the $.50 store coupon that printed from the kiosk and which you can stack since one was a store coupon and one was a mfr coupon) and got a $10 ECB at the bottom of her receipt.  She turned around and used this to purchase other items that she didn’t have coupons for.

Oh, and that $3 cosmetics coupon?  She bought a $9.xx item, along with a travel size package of q-tips to bump her to $10, and saved $3!!

She was on a roll today!

I didn’t do too badly on my purchase either.

Next, we headed to the mall at the beach to our favorite store, Ann Taylor Loft.

I’ll admit that I’ve done so much shopping lately that nothing really jumped out at me, but because I had been given a heads-up about a 30% coupon for Facebook Fans, Chicky tried on quite a few things.  She wound up getting three tops, saving quite a pile of money because they were on the clearance rack, with an additional 30% off BEFORE she used the coupon!!

I have a funny story to share.

Chicky had run into the store before me because I had to go potty in the bookstore down the street.  By the time I got to the Loft, she was already trying on clothes, and she came out of the room with a pair of pants that I (looking guilty now) had purchased for myself last week…off of the clearance rack…for an additional 50% off of the clearance price.

She needed a smaller size, but there weren’t any available.

I had purchased the only smaller size last week.

Oops.

heehee

She came home, though, and ordered it online, using the code provided on the coupon, and got the deal anyway.

Next, we ventured into Victoria’s Secret.  Chicky had a coupon for free undies/$10 off of a bra.

My girl wound up saving $18 and walked away with two very nice items, only spending $20 in the end!

I am so proud of her!  She’s catching on, though she admits that it’s a bit of work.

On the way home, we stopped at Starbucks for a treat.

I saved money there too, using a discount card and, thus, saving 10% off of our treats.

I remembered that I needed to run by Publix before certain sales were over.  I purchased 64oz Gatorade (B1G1), Excedrin (2/$2.50 – $1 manufacture coupons on each), and Mueller’s Pasta (B1G1 – $1 coupons on each).  I walked out of there spending $7…saving at least 66%.

When we got home, we took a look at our purchases…

We had done quite well.

I am hoping that Chicky takes these lessons to heart and looks for good deals while she’s at school.

Though she won’t have much time to shop, she’ll certainly stretch her money when she does.

Plus, it’s never too early to learn!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: Ann Taylor Loft, Saving Money, shopping | 6 Comments »

Chicky went shopping yesterday and came home, excitedly telling me about cardigans she’d found on sale for $4.88 at Ann Taylor Loft.

She didn’t pick up any before she left, but she really wanted them, figuring they would be great to do her student teaching in when she returns to school.

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a sweater or two for myself as well, so I headed to the store today.  Since she had to work, she left me her debit card with strict instructions, written down to ensure understanding, on the colors, sizes, and styles she preferred.

When I walked in, I spied a woman looking through the small rack.  I made a beeline for it, snatching up three colors…right out from under that woman’s nose.

teehee

I don’t think she appreciated my tactics.

What can I say…I’m ruthless when I want something.

Anyhoo…the sweaters were very picked over, let me tell you, so I got what I could…

When I got to the register, the sweaters did not ring up for $4.88, as marked on the tags…

Nope…I didn’t get the price advertised.

Each sweater rang up for $3.45…30% off of the clearance price!!

I could not believe it!  What a deal!

I started to leave the store, but I took one more look at that clearance rack, which was very slim in offerings by this time.

That’s when I spied a couple of pairs of black slacks…marked at $4.88..

One of them was in my size, but I was leery of the length.

I tried the pair on.

To my astonishment, the pants fit…perfectly…which very rarely happens to me.

Naturally, I decided to buy them.  I would have been stupid not to.

Again, I did not get the price advertised because these were ALSO 30% off, making them $3.45!!!!!

Look at what they were originally priced at!  Oh my gosh!  It’s almost like I won the lottery of clothing sales!

I’ve got to hand it to my Chicky.  She’s one smart cookie.  She’s shopped on clearance racks for the last few years…just like her mama.

I am so proud.

I learned something today.

As much as I loathe to shop for clothes, I think it would behoove me to get out there a little more often.  Finding sales is as much about being in the right place at the right time as it is being on the lookout for coupons.  It’s also about finding classic pieces that will withstand the ebb and flow of clothing trends.

I think that Ann Taylor Loft is one of my new favorite stores.  I can’t wait to go back!

Filed under: Saving Money | Tagged: Ann Taylor Loft, Saving Money, shopping | 4 Comments »